


Trust Fall

by tokiidokii



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Belly Rubs, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Stomach Ache, poor hubert has to unlearn a lot of bad habits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 20:57:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20766845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tokiidokii/pseuds/tokiidokii
Summary: Hubert drinks more coffee than he can stomach. Byleth is more than happy to tend to him, but he has to let her in first.





	Trust Fall

Hubert went to take a sip of his coffee, only to find the damned thing was empty as he squinted in the candlelight. Sighing, he stood up to make more. Tonight would be a long night of work, indeed. Hubert tried to take better care of himself these days, but sometimes, unfortunately, circumstances got in the way. 

It was easier now that the war had recently ended. Even though Lady Edelgard could not monitor him like she once did, Hubert did not find himself alone. His new wife was always present, helping him with work and encouraging him to sleep when necessary. Hubert never pictured himself in this strange, peaceful domestic life. To have someone who selflessly loved for him for his own sake and nothing more felt foreign to him.

Unfortunately, tonight was a bit of a different story. Running a country took a lot of work, and Hubert wanted to shoulder Edelgard's burden as much as possible. As a result, he had quite a bit of documents that must be delivered first thing in the morning. Byleth helped valiantly by his side after dinner, but she had tapped out some time near one am.

"Come to bed with me, darling. Your work performance will improve in the morning." She tempted. Her usual routine when Hubert kept himself up. He would never admit it to her, but it worked about three quarters of the time.

"Not tonight, beloved. I have to finish this by morning. I ask that you please get some rest. You've already aided me more than enough."

"Alright. But don't stay up too late?" She kissed his forehead and left him to it.

Hubert worked, and he drank coffee. Honestly, this was what he expected life to be like after the war all the time if not for marriage. He considered himself lucky these nights were uncommon and not a daily occurrence anymore. With no one to bother him, Hubert lost track of time - as well as the amount of black coffee he had been drinking. The room filled up with dim light of dawn as he was on his last bundle of papers in a suggestion of dawn. His stomach shifted uncomfortably, accompanied by a low grumbling noise. Perhaps he would retrieve breakfast soon to satiate it.

As the minutes ticked by it became apparent the strange feeling in his abdomen wasn't hunger, but irritation. A warning, he came to realize, as a dull ache took shape within him. He ignored the minor stomachache for a while. It was nothing more of a nuisance.

The sun then began to rise. Hubert's stomach complained, as if it knew it was being ignored, and cramped in earnest. He placed his non dominant hand over the tense muscle, trying to will it to relax in order to finish this work. 

Another hard spasm knocked the wind out of his lungs, and suddenly, his whole lower body seized with pain. Hubert doubled over in his seat, arm wrapped firmly around the vulnerable spot, knees tucked together but feet spread apart to brace himself on the floor. He hissed in a breath through closed teeth - what the hell was wrong with him? Paranoid mind ran for explanations, wondering perhaps if he had been poisoned but all he had been drinking was his own coffee that he made -

It dawned on him then. How much coffee had he even drank? Hubert had worked tiredly for hours, already sleepless from the previous night, desperate to keep himself awake again tonight. He shuddered with a half laugh, before biting it off from the pain. What a fool he had been for putting nothing but black coffee on his stomach for hours. Manuela always warned him he would give himself an ulcer back when he was in school. Perhaps he refused to listen because he thought her a hypocrite for drinking so much alcohol. But he wasn't a college student with a body able to take that much abuse anymore, and hadn't been for a long time. Guzzling that much coffee on an empty stomach was practically poison in and of itself. 

Hubert's legs shook, and he unsteadily signed the document left in front of him to consider it complete. He needed to exit this chair, this room. Perhaps he could get a couple hours of sleep with Byleth before he had to start the day.

He tried to rise on his own two feet, only for his muscles to clench at the slightest stretch. He collapsed with a thud back into the seat, cradling his stomach with both arms. He took in a shallow breath and released it in a slow, pained puff through his lips. Dull panic rose in his chest, unfamiliar vulnerability unsettling and frightening him. He felt like a target, off his guard, easy prey for any number of people who wanted him dead. This line of thought was irrational, of course, given the fact he had fewer political enemies now more than ever. 

Hubert hardly fell ill or took serious injuries in battle. He knew he was overreacting, though, it was far from the worst pain he had ever felt and would probably pass in a few hours. But that knowledge did nothing to lessen the pain he was currently experiencing.

The door creaked. Hubert prickled, lost in his thoughts, and reached for a dagger hidden within his clothes. He glared at the intruder through his bangs, ready to-

"Hubie?" Byleth's voice called.

"By-leth..." Hubert let out a strained breath he didn't know he had been holding and let the dagger clatter to the ground. She didn't even flinch as it tumbled out of the shadow of his chair, she just placed it on the shelf out of reach without a word.

"Have you still not come to bed?" She approached slowly, making Hubert feel like a cornered animal. It didn't help that he was acting like one. She intended no harm, he had to remind himself. She never would. 

"I was just about to retire..." He half lied. Byleth placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You're trembling. What's wrong?"

"I feel...a little unwell." Hubert glanced away. "Go back to sleep. I will join shortly."

"It's cold without you." She frowned. Hubert snorted at that. 

"Hmph, I sincerely doubt that. Listen, if you return to bed, I will-"

A sour groan from the pit of his stomach overtook his quiet voice, body spasming until Hubert had his sweaty forehead pressed to his knees. It hurt to take in deep breaths, forcing air in and out of his lungs in short pants.

"Hubert!" Byleth put her hands on his shoulders. "Goodness, was that your stomach? What did you eat?"

"Coffee..." Hubert's face burned, and he only had himself to blame.

"Coffee...? And what else?" She rubbed his tense shoulder. Hubert said nothing, waiting for her to piece it together. "Have you just been drinking coffee all night?"

"It's pathetic, I know..."

"Hubert," She patted him hurriedly. "It is not pathetic. But you should know better than to drink so much coffee on an empty stomach."

"I should." Hubert conceded. He had no will to argue, let alone a good argument to make. Byleth sighed, and Hubert could practically see her shake her head from behind him.

"I suppose there is nothing to be done...come now. To bed, darling."

He saw her hand outstretched in his peripheral vision. He- he really should lie down. With the worst of the wave passed, Hubert took her hand and stood upon his own two feet. 

He wobbled like some newborn fawn, and she ended up looping his one arm around the back of her neck to stabilize him. He laid the other firmly on his waist. They took a few slow steps - Byleth was doing most of the work, but Hubert was determined to keep her from shouldering his full weight. 

If he were a lesser man, Hubert might have felt like crying with relief when they reached their chambers. He settled on the plush bed with a groan, and Byleth knelt down and began to remove his boots. His first instinct would be to shoo her away and _insist_ he could take care of himself, but he brushed it off as soon as the thought emerged. Byleth was his wife. Intimate actions like this between husband and wife...normal. Pleasant. He had nothing to lose by allowing her to undress him in their own bedroom.

So, undress him she did. She removed his boots, his coat, his shirt, his pants, even his gloves, careful not to jostle him or straighten him out. Hubert felt further vulnerable as his clothing was stripped away, but the comforting sensation of his fresh night clothes slipping over his scrunched form eased some of his worries. Sighing, Hubert lowered himself onto his side of the bed.

"Do you feel like you may be ill?" Byleth asked with a brush of her fingertips across his fringe.

"No." Hubert answered honestly. A small blessing. Save that humiliation, perhaps, for another time. Byleth nodded.

"Alright. May I make a quick run to the pantry then? I'll be back in only a moment."

"Yes." He had more to say, some dry remark about abandoning him, but it died half formed in his thoughts. He didn't want her to leave, but he had no doubt she would return in a few minutes at most.

She returned with nothing but a small bundle in her palm and some water.

"This is ginger medicine - a maid said it'll calm an upset stomach."

Hubert balked at the idea of a servant knowing he suffered from such a trivial affliction. Still, he would take any relief without complaint. He recognized it as the kind they kept in the pantry, still sealed and untampered with. Hubert unraveled the medicine and swallowed it with a glass of water, grimacing at the way it made his stomach tighten.

"Good, good job." What could she possibly be praising him for? "Now..."

Byleth circled to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers next to him. Her feet bumped against his calves as she tucked her body against his, spooning him. Small fingers roamed down his body, drawing a light shudder from Hubert's tired form. They came to a stop on top of his large hands that still pressed protectively into his stomach.

"Would you mind moving these out of the way for me, dear?"

Revealing weakness to another went against his every instinct. Hubert stiffened as old memories buzzed through his mind, having learned the importance of hiding pain at a young age. Even now, laying flush against her, he felt the need to suppress it. Both to protect himself and prevent her from worrying.

"What do you intend to-"

"Shh. You worry too much," She interrupted in a calm voice. "Relax. I am going to help you relax."

He shouldn't be acting like this. He had bed this woman, after all, there was nothing left to hide about his body. But he had had more control then, more sense of mind. Here, he felt exposed, lying in bed, too weak to walk. A reluctant noise came from Hubert's mouth that he refused to classify as a whimper or whine as he slowly obliged. 

"Thank you for putting your trust in me. You're doing so well."

Curse the part of him that enjoyed Byleth's praise a little too much. She slipped her hand underneath his nightshirt, laying it there in his place. Almost on cue, his abdomen emitted a low rumble.

"Your poor tummy..." She commented in that voice he recognized as a subtle tease, but it made his face heat up all the same.

"There's no need to treat me like a child." He hissed and felt immediate guilt for it.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm not trying to kick you while you're down. I'll be quiet. Just lay back and let me pamper you, please?"

"You're...you're just trying to help, I know. I am sorry. I appreciate it, truly. I'm just not used to being," He paused. "Pampered."

"I know. You've always been burdened with so much responsibility. That's why I want to treat you. Not because you're incapable or weak, but because I know you need a break from it all." 

"I..." He struggled to focus with that warm palm on his belly. "I don't know if I've done anything to deserve that."

"You don't have to earn it. I'll just give it to you." She breathed. Hubert suddenly felt aware of how awfully, dreadfully tired he felt. How badly he wanted a respite, whether or not his own self worth dictated it was fair.

"Mm...very well." In a rare mood, Hubert caved to his own desires. He had so few of his own, and if they aligned with what Byleth wanted, how could he deny her? He already made a mental note to repay her tenfold when his condition improved. 

Her hand then began to trace big, slow circles across his thin stomach. He considered himself in shape for a mage, with decent stamina and light muscle, but that didn't mean much compared to most of the powerhouses in their unit. His tall, imposing form at least lent itself well to his positions and duties in life, but in terms of attractiveness he was, in a word, unimpressive. 

Byleth seemed to think otherwise. '_I am not shallow_,' she had told him one time he had made some offhand insult to his own looks he could no longer recall. '_But I would not marry someone if I did not wholeheartedly love both their mind and their body._' He had not argued, but Byleth stopped trying to lavish his body in praise with words after that. 

Instead, she had begun more physical intimate gestures. Hubert appreciated those. They felt more honest. Took more work. Getting his stomach rubbed was utterly foreign, but he felt the clear appreciation and love in her movements.

Hubert felt at peace with the situation until the ache grew intense, and each residual throb began to bleed into the next. Thankfully, his pain tolerance was too high to draw any sound from his lips, but he did curl in on himself. Byleth cooed nonsense encouragement in response and rested her chin in the crook of his neck. Suddenly, her fingers grew much warmer as they pressed down into the pale skin, and the circles she drew became smaller and tighter. Her touch remained firm but gentle while she massaged the relentless cramping, willing the muscles to untangle. Hubert relaxed with a contented sigh and let his eyes flutter closed.

"Is the magic helping? I wasn't sure if it would." She piped up. She had drawn just the slightest bit of white healing magic into her fingertips to try to soothe him.

"It's so warm..." Hubert muttered in amazement. Unlike the cold chill of most dark magic, healing magic tended to envelope the targeted area with comforting heat.

He wasn't even sure if it could actually heal his agitated stomach lining from the outside, but the warmth proved most effective at soothing it. Once the angry churn of his stomach came to an end, a soft moan of gratitude rumbled in his chest. 

"Does that feel better?" She asked with a hint of a giggle. Byleth stopped emitting healing magic, but continued a lazy caress that lulled him further into a sleepy haze.

"Absolutely. I was beginning to worry I may not get any sleep...before I left." Hubert cracked his heavy eyes open. He positioned his arms to roll over to kiss her, but his limbs felt like lead. Vulnerability lingered in his thoughts, but he discarded it as her arms tightened around him. No harm would come to him if she was by his side.

"Left?"

"I finished the paperwork....it needs to be...delivered." Hubert heard his own words slurring in his ears. His whole body felt overtired. If he had any energy at all after two nights with no sleep, the stomach upset had surely sapped it. Hopefully, he would still be able to rise in time for work. 

"We'll fetch someone else to deliver the papers. You worked hard. Rest."

"But I...should d'liver it..." His eyes started to throb. The last of the caffeine had worn off.

"We will tell the messenger to let Edelgard know you fell ill early this morning. She will be more than happy to grant you the day off."

"'S my fault..." In the back of his mind, he realized she had been planning something after all. Hubert had fallen right into her trap to lull him to sleep. He acknowledged he should stop her, but he had been up for too long and felt far too comfortable to fight any more. 

"Exactly why you should rest. Shhh." Byleth pulled his nightshirt back down, patted his belly, and tugged the blankets up to their shoulders. 

She kissed his ear from behind, and Hubert's eyes slid shut.

**Author's Note:**

> this is just purely self indulgent but if you dont write for yourself who are you writing for


End file.
